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In Matthew, Jesus warns that false prophets will appear, lawlessness will increase and love will grow cold. The Didache, an early church manual, has a warning about the last days built from these same images of false prophets and failing love.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Didache 16:3
Early Christian
3 In the last days, false prophets and corruptors will increase, the faithful will be led astray, and love will turn into hate. 4 As lawlessness grows, people will hate, persecute, and betray each other. The world's deceiver will appear as the Son of God, performing miracles, and unprecedented sin will be committed. 5 Humanity will face a fiery trial, and many will fall away. But those who remain steadfast in faith will be saved from under the curse. 6 Then, the signs of truth will appear: the sign in Heaven, the sound of the trumpet, and the resurrection of the dead. 7 However, not all the dead will rise, as it was said, 'The Lord will come, and all His saints with Him.' 8 Then, the world will see the Lord coming on the clouds of Heaven.
Matthew 24:11
New Testament
10 Then many will be led into sin, and they will betray one another and hate one another. 11 And many false prophets will appear and deceive many, 12 and because lawlessness will increase so much, the love of many will grow cold.
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Notes and References
“... The existence of verbal echoes and possible allusions between Did. 16 and material peculiar to Matt. 24 is widely recognized. In Did. 16. 3–5 there is a cluster of such echoes, mostly of Matt. 24. 10–12, but also of other passages in Matthew, though in no case could one say there is anything like a ‘citation’. ‘False prophets being multiplied’ in Did. 16. 3 uses similar vocabulary to Matt. 24. 11–12 (‘false prophets’ in Matt. 24. 11, being ‘multiplied’ in Matt. 24. 12); ‘sheep becoming wolves’ in Did. 16. 3 uses imagery similar to that of Matt. 7. 15; ‘love turning to hate’ reflects Matt. 24. 10, 12 (‘love’ in v. 10, ‘hate’ in v. 12) [...]. In fact, all the parallels to Did. 16. 3–5 in Matthew include the three references in Matthew to ‘false prophets’ (Matt. 7. 15; 24. 10–12; 24. 24). This might be readily explained if the Didachist were attempting to cull from Matthew language and ideas associated with false prophets. ...”
Gregory, Andrew F.
The Reception of the New Testament in the Apostolic Fathers
(p. 117) Oxford University Press, 2005
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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