Looking For The Uppertaker Part Iii: The Best Is Yet To Come! Series

Titus 2:13 ...looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, (NKJ)

When you eat out at a fine restaurant, the waiter will ask you, when you are done if you want to keep your fork. Why? Because you will need it if you want to eat dessert.

A woman passed away from a terminal disease and left particular instructions the funeral director on how she was to be presented in the casket; what she would wear, what flowers there would be, what songs were to be sung. But she had an unusual request, one that was different from any other requests that the funeral director had ever heard.

The woman was to be presented, in the casket, with her hands folded holding a fork. The funeral director knew why, and her pastor knew why, but no one else did.

When the pastor presented his message at the woman's funeral, he reminded them of the womans's fondness for desserts after a good meal--she always kept her fork for the good sweet treat to come. He also then reminded those present that she had enjoyed a good life, a life that was exemplary as a Christian. Then he told people what was up with the fork: she held on to her fork as a reminder that for the Christian in the next life, just like dessert following a meal, the best is yet to come.

In the past two weeks we have discussed the Rapture of the Church. It is an event when Jesus comes for his church, removes them from the earth to meet Him in the air along with the resurrected saints that have been "asleep in Christ".

We have learned that the church, a group of people that are called by God to salvation, are swept up "in the twinkling of an eye" (1 Cor 15). There will be no warning, though we do see the signs of the times; it will happen quickly. Those that do not believe will be left behind on planet Earth to face a time of evil, pain and despair like no other time ever seen in the history of mankind.

Last week, we studied the differences between the Rapture and the Second Coming. J. Vernon McGee in his book "J. Vernon McGee On Prophecy noted that there are three specific areas of difference: Action, Attitude and Anticipation.

The first area, Action, shows Christ meeting his Church in the air (including those who had died in Christ) at the Rapture (1 Thessalonians 4) and at the Second Coming He will set foot on the Mount of Olives and split it in two (Zech 14).

The second area, Attitude, shows the attitude of Jesus Christ as one of mercy toward His Church, and one of wrath toward the unsaved masses in the Tribulation period. As Christians we have a "blessed hope" not a "blasted hope", and have the assurance that Jesus will not "beat up the Bride" (the church) by allowing her to suffer in the Tribulation period!

Titus 2:13 ...looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, (NKJ)

An-ti-ci-pa-tion!

There's an old song from the 1970's by Carly Simon called "Anticipation", and to be honest I can't remember the lyrics! But I do remember when that song was cut down and used as the theme song for Heinz Ketchup. I remember the long wait for the ketchup to flow down on to that burger--yum!

There is a difference between the blessed hope--looking forward to being swept up to the air to meet with Jesus Christ, then going to heaven to be with Him--and that of the Tribulation Saints and the unsaved masses in Revelation.

What Is It That We Are Anticipating?

There are two different categories of people in this world today--the saved and the unsaved. There is no middle ground--you either are saved or you aren't. You either will spend eternity with Christ or separated from Him and all that's good. Again, there is no middle ground.

What is anticipated depends upon the perspective from where you stand, either saved or unsaved. If you are saved, you are anticipating what I spoke of yesterday--The Best Is Yet To Come.

The Saved Know They Have A Blessed Hope

We have a hope--what is that hope? As we see in the key Scripture for today, that hope--expectation--is that we will be raptured into the air, removed from the wrath which is to come. Again, it is not a "blasted hope".

The Saved Will Have A Body Like Jesus

I Jn 3:2-3

2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.