As the last days wind down to their dramatic conclusion, prophecies that were heretofore obscure, over time have now come more sharply into focus. One such prophecy that bears review is the oft-quoted verse concerning the "increasing of lawlessness." Typically the Watchtower has pointed to increasing criminal lawlessness in the world as evidence of the fulfillment of that particular feature of the sign of Christ's imminent arrival.
While few would argue that our times have seen a noticeable increase in criminal activity on all levels, from government corruption, to the general moral breakdown of civilization as a whole, still, is that necessarily what the prophecy presages? It may be, in view of the ongoing ferment and apostasy among Jehovah's people themselves, that Jesus' words were foretelling this very development, with a more pronounced eruption of apostasy among Jehovah's Witnesses oncoming.
The word "lawlessness" is used in the Scriptures to describe all sin, but especially apostasy. Take for example Matthew 7:23, where Christ says, "Get away from me, you workers of lawlessness." In the context of that familiar verse Jesus is rebuking, not petty street criminals who may have gone on a crime spree, but rather his judgment comes against those who claim to be Christians; those who hypocritically call him "Lord, Lord" So, yes, definitely, in that setting "lawlessness" has nothing to do with crime and everything to do with religious apostasy.
As another example of how "lawlessness" is used to denote apostasy rather than crime, is the verse regarding the so-called "man of lawlessness." Significantly, Paul specifically made the connection between the man of lawlessness and apostasy where he wrote: "Let no one seduce you in any manner, because it will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness gets revealed, the son of destruction."
So, returning to Christ's great prophecy regarding his ultimate unveiling, the surrounding context of verses have to do with developments within Jehovah's congregation, and therefore the "increasing of lawlessness" that Jesus foretold finds fulfillment in the ongoing apostasy among Jehovah's Witnesses. A brief examination of that span of verses verifies that this is the correct interpretation.
Probably verse nine is fulfilled during the opening round of the tribulation. That's the verse that says: "Then people will deliver you up to tribulation and will kill you, and you will be objects of hatred by all the nations on account of my name." While that scenario has certainly been in evidence in a minor way during the entire period that Jehovah's Witnesses have preached about Christ's kingdom, it is noteworthy that Jesus said that the wars, food shortages, earthquakes, and pestilence, were just "a beginning of pangs of distress." So, following those beginning pangs of distress is when Jehovah's people are delivered up to tribulation, which seems to indicate that although Jehovah's Witnesses have certainly experienced a significant amount of trouble and persecution during the 20th century, the ultimate fulfillment awaits the tribulation period.
So, that is when the rest of Christ's prophecy will apply that foretells: "Then, also, many will be stumbled and will betray one another. And many false prophets will arise and mislead many; and because of the increasing of lawlessness the love of the greater number will cool off. But he that has endured to the end is the one that will be saved."
The last days of the life of Jesus provide a prophetic pattern that is essentially duplicated among the body of Christ during the finale of this system of things, only on a much grander scale. Interestingly, Paul called the man of lawlessness "the son of destruction." That of course is also what Jesus dubbed Judas. And not surprisingly, the 109th Psalm indicates there is a larger fulfillment then just the one man Judas, which has led this writer to coin the term "Judas-class" to designate the modern apostate, particularly those of the evil slave class who were overseers and intimately associated with Christ's brothers.
In the final days of the life of Jesus, a strange and hybrid alliance formed between mutual enemies who had the destruction of God's Son as their uniting bound. Thus the Pharisees and Sadducees sunk their differences and worked together with the despised Romans and the apostate Judas to accomplish the world's greatest act of lawlessness. In the grander fulfillment of the 2nd Psalm, that of course that calls for all of Jehovah's enemies to unite against the kingdom of Christ, we will no doubt, in the near future, find the similar banding together of our political, religious, and apostate enemies.
As part of the miniature foregleam of the sort of stumbling and confusion that Christ foretold to come upon his people, we only have to look at what befell the apostles during the period of Jesus' betrayal and arrest. In spite of the fact that Jesus repeatedly told his apostles that he was going to be betrayed by one of his own and sold into the hands of his enemies and executed as a common criminal, the apostles didn't believe him. Peter even foolishly tried to correct Jesus. But the fact was that Jehovah had concealed certain truths from his apostles, which led them to imagine that Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem would lead directly to his receiving the kingdom of David right then and there. How wrong they were. And yet Jehovah's word was fulfillment in minute detail, even in the shepherd being struck and the sheep scattered. We could say that all of the apostles were stumbled, but due to Christ's mercy they recovered after their humiliation.
So, as it stands presently, the faithful slave has likewise had certain things concealed from them. It simply goes with the territory and assignment. Jeremiah, for example, was one prophet who protested to Jehovah that God had tricked him. Can the so-called Jeremiah class expect anything different? In fact the propechies say that God has even temporarily covered the heads of his prophets and visionaries until his purpose in connection with his organization is accomplished. The things that God has concealed have to do with the way the tribulation will commence and unfold. This will result in an enormous stumbling block being laid before all of Jehovah's Witnesses by their trusted faithful and discreet slave. The purpose being to sift out all those who are not totally dedicated to Jehovah and have faith in his Son Jesus. That process is even now underway, and can be evidenced by the fact that numerous Watchtower errors have already induced a faithless and vicious element within God's people to present themselves. For the most part though, the ongoing apostasy has only affected a relative handful of Jehovah's Witnesses, but certainly it must be recognized that a large apostate community is developing, with the potential to stumble many more.
In the certain eventuality of the terrifying collapse of the present system of things, in a manner that Jehovah's Witnesses are not anticipating, many will be vulnerable to the apostate false prophets and false christs that are scheduled to make their appearance during that time. And because the Watchtower itself is doomed to fall silent at that same time, Jehovah's Witnesses will have their faith tried in the crucible of fire, as they never have before. It is then in that context that Jesus' words will fully apply: "But he that has endured to the end is the one that will be saved."
Apparently, the fiery tests and hardships that are destined to come upon us, during the initial phase of the tribulation, are the means by which Jesus will purge from his house all faithless ones and apostates and clear away the falsehoods that have existed to the present. That's why he said in a parable the following: "The Son of man will send forth his angels and they will collect out from his kingdom all things that cause STUMBLING and persons who are doing LAWLESSNESS."
"May those be shamed and humiliated who are hunting for my soul.
May those be turned back and be abashed who are scheming calamity for me.
May they become like chaff before the wind,
And let Jehovah's angel be pushing them along.
Let their way become darkness and slippery places,
And let Jehovah's angel be pursuing them." --- Psalms 35:5-6
/ You Know