JW.org has a front page snippet posing the question: Increasing Lawlessness Worldwide—What Does the Bible Say?
Since the article is filed under the category Keep on the Watch, naturally, the Watchtower quotes Jesus’ words at Matthew 24:12, which read: “Because of the increasing of lawlessness, the love of the greater number will grow cold.”
Over many decades, the Watchtower has frequently cited Matthew 24:12 to support the claim that we are living in the last days. Increased crime and violence are believed to fulfill this aspect of the sign.
There is no denying the fact that crime and lack of respect for law and law enforcement are on the increase, especially in America and Europe. This increase of lawlessness, though, is by design. It is fostered by the most powerful people in the world, the so-called 
elites, as part of an overall scheme to corrupt, weaken, and ultimately destroy Western civilization. What person in their right mind would imagine that defunding the police would make cities safer? Who thought it was a good idea not to prosecute and incarcerate criminals? Surely, the open borders policy of America and Europe, allowing criminals, terrorists, and drug runners to flood in, is intended to cause chaos and destruction.
Even so, is what we are witnessing the fulfillment of Jesus’ prophecy regarding the increasing lawlessness? Indeed, what does the Bible say? To answer that question, first consider how the New World Translation uses the term “lawlessness.”
You may be surprised that the Bible defines lawlessness as sin. 1 John 3:4 simply states: “Everyone who practices sin is also practicing lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.”
Clearly, defining lawlessness as sin encompasses much more than merely street crime.
It is noteworthy that Jesus spoke of lawlessness in connection with religious people. For example, in his Sermon on the Mount, Christ foretold he would condemn people who claimed to be Christians even if they performed miracles and prophesied in Jesus’ name. In the final judgment, Jesus will tell them, “I never knew you! Get away from me, you workers of lawlessness!”
Christ also denounced the hyper-religious Pharisees as being full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
72 years ago, the Watchtower had an interesting comment on Matthew 7:23. (WT 3-15-1952 para 7)
It is not enough for a man or organization to take God or Christ’s name on the lips. It is not the performance of charitable works or ceremonial rituals in God’s name that counts. It is not the performance of certain formalisms or practices prescribed by a religious organization that brings divine approval. It is not such outward lip service or ceremonial display, but, as Jesus said, it is the one who does God’s will that gains eternal life. If the religious organization is not teaching God’s will, is not following it accurately, then its adherents are likewise missing the mark, regardless of how sincerely they may conform to the organization’s will. Their protests that they did many works in Christ’s name would only bring his retort: “Get away from me, you workers of lawlessness.” It is God’s will that is divinely lawful; contrary wills of persons or organizations are lawlessness in Jehovah’s sight.
Jehovah’s Witnesses recognize that there is only one true religion. That was certainly the 
case nearly 2,000 years ago when Christianity came into existence. At Hebrews 12:23, Paul referred to it as “the congregation of the firstborn who have been enrolled in the heavens.” It is called the congregation of the firstborn because Jesus was the first person Jehovah anointed. He was the first person to be born again. That is why Paul referred to Christ as “the firstborn among many brothers.”
Although sects emerged throughout the first century, Jesus did not recognize them as his. For example, while acknowledging the sect of Nicholaus, Jesus said he hated their deeds.
We know the history, though. After the apostles died off by the second century wicked men crept in and took control. But by then, though, the anointing had apparently ceased. That is why, toward the end of his earthly course and the apostolic era, the apostle John wrote: “Young children, it is the last hour, and just as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared, from which fact we know that it is the last hour.” — 1 John 2:18
The antichrist eventually emerged when the decadent Roman Empire morphed into the Catholic Church. After a long dark age the evidence points to the reemergence of the congregation of the firstborn in connection with the appearance of the International Bible Students and Pastor Russell.
Because anointed persons have been transferred into the Kingdom of the Son of God’s love, the congregation of the firstborn is also the Kingdom of Christ before his second coming. And it is Christ’s Kingdom that is experiencing an increase in lawlessness. This is evident because of the fact that when Christ is given power to destroy all of his enemies his campaign against wicked persons and lawlessness begins in his Kingdom.
Jesus illustrated this with the well-known story of the wheat and the weeds. The weeds symbolize the sons of Satan, while the wheat are the brothers of the Firstborn. The wheat and the weeds grow together until the harvest, which means that genuine Christians will be on earth when Christ returns. When the appointed time arrives, the master of the harvest commands the weeds to uproot and throw them into the fire.
And where are the weeds in actuality? In Christ’s Kingdom. Here is how Jesus explained the illustration to his apostles: “The Son of man will send his angels, and they will collect out from his Kingdom all things that cause stumbling and people who practice lawlessness, and they will pitch them into the fiery furnace.” — Mathew 13:41-42
Those practicing lawlessness within Christ’s Kingdom are not common criminals and thugs. They are, in fact, regarded as Christians—even men of prominence and stature. Were not the superfine apostles the most prominent men in the Corinthian congregation? 
And yet Paul exposed them as pretenders who merely disguised themselves as ministers of righteousness. Since the anointed members of that congregation were apparently unaware that their leading men were actually sons of Satan, why do Jehovah’s Witnesses assume that their beloved faithful and discreet slave is actually faithful?
Did not Jesus indicate that upon his surprise inspection, he would find certain slaves whom he duly appointed to feed others food at the proper time to be unfaithful in their assignment? Jesus foresaw that some anointed and appointed men would become 
lawless because they felt their master was delaying. Certainly, many decades have passed since the Watchtower proclaimed that the Kingdom has come to power and still the master has not come. As a result of his lack of faith, they begin beating their fellow slaves and associating with the confirmed drunkards. In other words, they practice lawlessness.
Going back to the 1952 Watchtower cited above, “It is not enough for a man or organization to take God or Christ’s name on the lips.” How true that is. Nor does it matter how many millions of Bibles and magazines are printed and distributed. The last sentence says it all: “It is God’s will that is divinely lawful; contrary wills of persons or organizations are lawlessness in Jehovah’s sight.”
What is Jehovah’s will? It is very succinctly stated for us in the Bible: “The form of worship that is clean and undefiled from the standpoint of our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their tribulation, and to keep oneself without spot from the world.” — James 1:27
According to the Watchtower, if an organization acts contrary to God’s stated will, it is lawless in God’s sight. There is no need to restate the voluminous facts here. The Watchtower’s increasing lawlessness has been well documented. Tens of thousands of sexually molested children and policies that protect pedophiles from exposure and prosecution and persecute the victims is hardly looking after “orphans” in their tribulation. Secretly 
partnering with the United Nations and then lying about it is lawlessness. Getting paid to declare that Jehovah provided a deadly vaccine that was designed by the Pentagon is not keeping an organization without a spot of stain from the world.
It is important to take note of the context in which Jesus spoke of the increasing of lawlessness. For your convenience, here is what the Lord said: “Then, too, many will be stumbled and will betray one another and will hate one another. Many false prophets will arise and mislead many; and because of the increasing of lawlessness, the love of the greater number will grow cold. But the one who has endured to the end will be saved.” — Matthew 24:10-13
It should be clear to any objective mind that the increasing of lawlessness has nothing to do with street crime and public disorder. The many that will be stumbled are Christians. It is not as though it has not happened before. Just consider the history of the International 
Bible Students as a cautionary tale. Leading up to 1914 millions of people worldwide heard Russell’s message. There were 50,000 Bible Students in 1914. Then everything went sideways. Nothing played out as Russell had led the Bible Students to expect. In fact, in 1916, Russell unexpectedly passed away. The government prosecuted the leaders of the Watchtower, and when the war ended, there were only a fraction of the Bible Students who went forward with the Watchtower’s new leadership.
The false prophets that will arise will also come from among true Christians. That is why Jesus warned that if it were possible, even the chosen ones would be deceived by the antichrists.
We already have a glimpse of how many will hate one another and betray one another, as it is now playing out in congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses. The Governing Body has polarized the organization into the vaccinated and the unvaccinated. No one but the Governing Body could have caused such a needless division. Truly, their increasing lawlessness has already caused the love of many to grow cold.
Most sobering, though, is that the conclusion has not begun. What will happen when World War Three breaks out? It certainly looks as though the war between nuclear-armed nations is in the beginning stages. When the missiles begin flying, will Jehovah’s Witnesses march ahead following the celestial chariot and be given “life-saving directions” by the Governing Body? Don’t count on it.
Surely, many will then realize that 1914 was a massive fraud. The Great War of 1914, which the Watchtower claimed fulfilled the sign of Christ’s presence in a way that no future war could, will be impossible for them to fix or adjust. The leadership of the Watchtower will stand exposed as false prophets who misled God’s people on the vital issue of Christ’s return. No doubt, many will stumble and not go forward to accept Christ on his terms.
It is worth noting that even the Governing Body recognizes that lawlessness means immorality and sinfulness, not common criminal activity. This is evident by what is stated in an article appearing in the February 15, 2011, Watchtower entitled Do You Hate Lawlessness? The article rightly points out that alcohol abuse, occultism, and sexual immorality constitute lawlessness.
How is it then that JW.org now falsely claims to convey what the Bible says about the increasing of lawlessness worldwide? Ironically, is this type of dishonesty not evidence of the increase in their lawlessness and contempt for God?
