“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. ~John 14:1-3 (ESV)

Friends, we can’t escape it…there is troubling news in our world today!  However, the words of Jesus to His disciples (and to us) in the midst of troubling circumstances is: “Let not your heart be troubled.”  Praise God, our Lord and Savior has left planet earth to go prepare a place for those of us who belong to Him, and He promises to return and take us home to be with Him forever!

That is a key premise of Looking for the Blessed Hope!  I hope that, as you follow along with this blog that you are not only informed, but also encouraged that, despite the trouble and turmoil in our world, we have a Blessed Hope, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is preparing a blessed home for us!

When we understand that, and view current events through that filter, we don’t have to be afraid.  We know how it ends because God’s Word tells us!  Praise God for that.

Through that lens, we see these troubling things:

• Evil regimes in Iran and ISIS being driven by apocalyptic eschatology (study of end times).  Did you know that Muslims have an end time theology?  They believe their messiah, the Mahdi, will return.  But here is the troubling part: radical, apocalyptic groups (such as those led by Iran and ISIS) believe their god has called them to create chaos, destroy infidels, and set up a worldwide caliphate as part of their end time theology.  Their method is jihad, and they will not be satisfied until every infidel is killed.  Iran and ISIS have different methods to their madness, but the end goal is the same.
• Our president and front runners in both parties are totally blind to the reality of radical, apocalyptic Islamic eschatology.  Obama has “cut a deal” with the devil and his demons by negotiating and catering to Iran, and by failing to recognize ISIS as a serious threat.  By all indications, if Hillary Clinton becomes president, she will pick up right where Obama leaves off.  If you think Donald Trump would do any better, check out these sources (taken from a recent post by Joel Rosenberg):
  • Donald Trump Would Not Rip Up The Iran Deal
  • In departure from Republicans, Trump wouldn’t ‘rip up’ Iran deal
  • Trump: I Get My Military Advice from Watching Shows
  • Trump fumbles Hewitt question on terror leaders
  • Donald Trump Doesn’t Quite Know the Difference Between the ‘Kurds’ and the ‘Quds’
  • Donald Trump’s Imaginary Foreign Policy Experts
  • Trump’s Foreign Policy Is All Over the Map
  • Putin praises ‘bright and talented’ Trump
  • Putin endorses Trump
  • Donald Trump lavishes praise on ‘leader’ Putin
  • Trump on Putin’s alleged killing of journalists: ‘At least he’s a leader’
• While we watch the stock market slide, more and more economic experts are predicting an economic collapse in the not-so-distant future.  Here is one example:

“The situation is worse than it was in 2007. Our macroeconomic ammunition to fight downturns is essentially all used up…Debts have continued to build up over the last eight years and they have reached such levels in every part of the world that they have become a potent cause for mischief…It will become obvious in the next recession that many of these debts will never be serviced or repaid, and this will be uncomfortable for a lot of people who think they own assets that are worth something.”  ~William White, economist

So, is it all just “doomsday” hype, or are these things absolute certainties?  In reality, it is somewhere in between, though it is hard to ignore the fact that we are living in a season of time that Jesus warned about.

Let’s take God at His Word.  Not only may we rest our troubled hearts because Jesus has gone to prepare an eternal home for us, but we must also take heed of this:

“When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘A shower is coming,’ and so it turns out. And when you see a south wind blowing, you say, ‘It will be a hot day,’ and it turns out that way. You hypocrites! You know how to analyze the appearance of the earth and the sky, but why do you not analyze this present time?  ~Luke 12:54-56

We’re living in the season, so let’s be alert.  Meanwhile, when the world seems to be spinning out of control, we can entrust our troubled hearts to Him, knowing our eternal home is being prepared for us and we’re soon to join Him there!

Maranatha…Lord come quickly!