Looking Beyond the Gloom & Doom!

I am not a "doom & gloom" kind of guy. Yet, I can easily get drawn into a negative discussion, especially about politics and the deteriorating society we live in. I am reading a book called, "The return of the gods" by Jonathan Cahn. It is a fascinating look at the gloom and doom of our society and why it is happening. In a "nutshell" Cahn claims that since we have removed God from most of our society, a void exists. This gap is being filled by the "gods" of the Old Testament, Baal, Ashtoreth, Moleck, etc. These "gods" exist. They were real back then and were removed for a time when Jesus came to earth. I really hate calling them gods, even if you use a small "g." In Cahn's view, these gods are demons, fallen angels, and Satan's minions. I would agree, for the most part, with that assessment. Yes, they are filling the void left by removing God from society! 

As I read this book, it is so easy to get a sense of hopelessness and a jaded view that there is nothing to be done! Reading the Bible can also give that same kind of hopelessness if you do not read the ENTIRE STORY! Reading the Old Testament, and hearing about the same sin-filled society we live in today, can really be depressing and feed our anxiety and hopelessness. Here is an example from Isaiah 24.

"Look! The Lord is about to destroy the earth and make it a vast wasteland. He devastates the surface of the earth and scatters the people. Priests and laypeople, servants and masters, maids and mistresses, buyers and sellers, lenders and borrowers, bankers and debtors -- none will be spared. The earth will be completely looted. The Lord has spoken! The earth mourns and dries up, and the land wastes away and withers. Even the greatest people on earth waste away. The earth suffers for the sins of its people, for they have twisted God's instructions, violated his laws, and broken his everlasting covenant." (Isaiah 24:1-5)

Not a very pleasant forecast!

There is no denying that judgment is going to happen. God cannot tolerate injustice and he must act, it's in his nature. We need to hear about our sins and the consequences of our sins. Pastors need to share the gloom and doom in the hopes that SOME will wake up and turn to the Lord. AND there is hope for those that do turn to the Lord. We can praise God because HE HAS A PLAN AND HE WILL SAVE US FROM THE OVERWHELMING WICKEDNESS OF THIS WORLD! Just one chapter after reading Isaiahs prophecy of gloom and doom, we read a message of hope. The Bible is filled with hope in spite of all the evil that surrounds us. The word of the Lord gives a hope that only can be found through Jesus Christ. Don't get swept up in the gloom and doom. Instead, LET JESUS SAVE YOU!

"In Jerusalem, the Lord of Heaven's Armies will spread a wonderful feast for all the people of the world. It will be a delicious banquet with clear, well-aged wine and choice meat. There he will remove the cloud of doom, the shadow of death that hangs over the earth. He will swallow up death forever! The Sovereign Lord will wipe away all tears. He will remove forever all insults and mockery against his land and people. The Lord has spoken! In that day the people will proclaim, "This is our God! We trusted in him, and he saved us! This is the Lord, in whom we trusted. Let us rejoice in the salvation he brings!"(Isaiah 25:6-9)

Look beyond the gloom & doom. Look beyond and see the hope that can be found ONLY in Jesus Christ!

Pray this prayer with all your heart:

Heavenly Father, I come to you as a hopeless sinner and I cannot fix myself or this world. But Lord, I know you sent your Son, Jesus Christ, to die for my sins on the cross of Calvary and he rose again to defeat death and the sin that consumes us. I declare Jesus my Lord and Savior and today, I proclaim him, Lord of my life. Amen!