Bestselling author Max Lucado talks to Fox News Digital about his latest book

This story is about suicide. If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

There is “a heaviness” in today’s society, pastor and best-selling author Max Lucado of San Antonio, Texas, said in an on-camera interview with Fox News Digital — but there is also a solution to it, he also said as his latest book was being published.

“There is a lack of hope, especially among adolescents, where the suicide rate continues to increase,” he said. (See the video at the top of this article, and another video in this article.)

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“Overall, the suicide rate is the highest it has been since World War II. We feel like we're trapped. We don't have a clear vision of the situation. And my experience has been that clarity about the future gives courage for today.”

That's why he wrote his latest book, “What Happens Next” — and he revealed its profound premises and the actions that anyone can take, including those of faith, no matter what their particular phase of life or situation.

Pastor Max Lucado's latest book is called “What Happens Next.” He told Fox News Digital, “I have a lot more friends in heaven than I do on earth. So I started wondering, 'Where do we go when we die?'” (MaxLucado.com)

“My whole life I’ve been fascinated by what the Bible has to say about the end times,” Lucado said.

“It’s only in recent years that I’ve become obsessed with understanding what’s about to happen. And I think there are two reasons for that.”

“To be completely honest, we're just starting to ask ourselves questions.”

He said that for his next birthday, scheduled for January, “there will need to be 70 candles on the birthday cake. And I don't know if I'll have a fire extinguisher that will blow them all out or not,” he added with a smile.

“But as you get older, to be honest, you start to wonder. And I have a lot more friends in heaven than I do on earth. So I started to wonder: Where do we go when we die? What is God's plan for the end of this world?”

Questions like these, frequently asked by older people, have been “accelerated by everything that's happening in the world today,” he said.

He said the study of “end times” can be “intimidating and scary for many people. I've heard so many people say, 'I don't even want to talk about the end times because I'm afraid of it.'”

“Jesus said to his disciples, and he says again to us: “Let not your heart be troubled. Have confidence in God.”

But Lucado considers such a position to be “regrettable.”

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He reassured anyone who might feel this way: “According to the Bible, what happens next should be a source of great encouragement and hope. Jesus said to his disciples, and he says to us, ‘Let not your hearts be troubled. Trust in God. Trust also in me. In my father’s house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would not have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.’”

“Whenever you feel anxiety … pray. Pray,” Lucado said. “And open yourself up to exploring what’s about to happen.” (MaxLucado.com)

Thus, “with these words and many others of the same kind, Jesus exhorts us to look to the future without fear but with faith.”

“The emphasis on hope is very helpful, I think,” he said, “in that we can hold on through the tough times, overcome our fears, because we know that these tough days will only last a moment – ​​and we have reason to pray. Let’s just pray that it will last.”

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He added: “Whenever you feel anxious, or you watch the news and feel like climbing into a hole or covering your head with a pillow, just pray. Pray. And open yourself up to explore what is about to happen.

“We can all explore this. And through this confidence, we find the courage to face the future.”

Lucado told an anecdote from his youth as a real-life analogy.

“When I was young, my dad would take us on long camping trips. My brother and I would get so excited that he would tell us all about the things we were going to see, even though we had never been to New Mexico, Colorado or Utah. He would tell us everything.

“And we were very excited because we trusted my father.

“It’s the same with God. We can trust Him and get excited. [about the future]In this book, I try to unpack what is happening in heaven right now. For those of our loved ones who have already entered the presence of Jesus, I try to unpack what heaven will be like for those who believe in Christ.

“We are waiting for the return of Christ. We are waiting for him. We believe that he can come at any moment. And that is the reason for hope, the reason for joy.” (Max Lucado; iStock)

He added: “I've tried to be equally honest and talk about the tragedy that awaits those who reject Christ. But I think we can all explore that. And through that trust, we find the courage to face the future.”

Lucado noted that the Bible contains “over 300 references to the return of Jesus.”

“So the idea is that the Christian lives his life on tiptoe. We wait for the return of Christ. We expect it. We believe it can come at any moment. And that is the reason for hope, the reason for joy.”

When her three daughters were little, Lucado says, “when they were still in diapers and then toddlers, there were always nose prints and fingerprints on the window next to the front door. At that time, I would come in the front door and they would hear, 'Daddy's on his way home,' and they would all run to the window and just stand there.”

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“They were eager for me to come home. They were waiting for me to come home.”

The Bible, Lucado said, “says there is a blessing for those who wait for Christ to return. We can begin and end each day by saying, 'Come today, Lord, come today.'”

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Said Lucado: “God’s ultimate answer to the world’s struggles and suffering is not found in this life, but in the next life.”

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Watch “And then: a public meeting on the end of times with Max Lucado” available now on Fox Nation.