Lawlessness in the Church = Emergence of the Antichrist
One of the main signs of the return of Jesus is a massive increase in lawlessness. Lawlessness isn't described by "bad intentions"... Lawlessness means doing whatever you think is best to achieve an objective, even a good one, regardless of the rules (ultimately, the word of God). Lawlessness is ultimately Godlessness. The warning in the Bible is that lawlessness would be extended in the name of God. Hence, the false prophets that accompany it: Matthew 24:10-12 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. (11) Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. (12) And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. The lawlessness being described in the Bible is describing the church and her attitudes. Lawlessness is expected from the world...it has always been lawless. When the church embraces lawlessness, that means the Antichrist is emerging from the Church. The church is the "check" on the world.