Great Expectations

        In 1860 Charles Dickens released hi 13^th book and 2^nd novel, “Great Expectations.” The only thing I remember from my Tenth grade literature book was the title. A quick review reminded me of some of the characters, such as the main one, an orphan named “Pip.” What intrigues me is the title. The title should remind the believer of his or her own “great expectations.” There were a number of events in my life that one could refer to as Great Expectations. Sometime around this time of the year, we would received the Sears and Roebuck Toy Catalog. When it came, I would look at it almost every day. Another one of my great expectations would be on the last day of school and opening that report card and pulling it out slowly, revealing grade after grade until it came to the phrase, “Promoted.” Another period of great expectation came when I got my first “real” job with a time clock punch at the Allis Chalmers Corn Picker Factory in La Porte, Indiana. My life has been dotted with a number of great expectations, but the best is to come. First Thessalonians 4:16 says, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:”

          All the rest of the great expectations pale in comparison to this one. Maybe I don't understand all of the details connected with it and how it is going to be accomplished, but the Bible says it and that's enough for me. If I have passed on by the time of this event, I will be in that number. If I am still alive at the time it takes place, then I will be in this second group which is in the next verse where it says, “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” We sometimes refer to this as the “rapture.” The word itself comes from the Latin word for the phrase, “caught up.” Now, this is a great expectation. It doesn't stop there but goes on with Scriptures such as First John 3:2-3 which describes what we will be like, in other words, how our bodies will be changed and just a glimpse of some special characteristics. Then, we can go on and find more great expectations in the place in which we will dwell. The Book of Revelation gives us a good picture of that as well as telling us what we will be doing. Not everyone on this earth can sing, but they still enjoy good singing and just plain good music in general. Even the tone deaf people will be able to sing and to be able to see and hear far better than while here on this earth. These are truly “great expectations.” A lot of people seem to get bored easily on earth. I don't think they will get bored in heaven. One thing is also clear about all of this. Not everyone will have great expectations. The ones who hate God, who hate worship, who hate Christian music such as Psalms, Hymns and spiritual songs, will be the ones who have no hope and who will spend eternity in hell. There are no great expectations for them but what they do have are false expectations such as “all my friends will be there so it will be a grand party time.” The Scriptures never say that but paint a quite different picture, one of torment, darkness, loneliness and anguish. The believer in the Lord Jesus Christ is the one who has the “Greatest of Expectations.” Praise God today that He has great plans for the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. For the believer, the best is yet to come.