Ellen Chauvin | Soaked & Sprouting

Soaked in God's Word, Sprouting Seeds of Faith

The Rapture and the Return

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“For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the archangel’s voice, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16 CSB

“JOHN!! What does this verse mean? I thought Daddy was in heaven! This is saying he’s still in the ground…”

Eighteen years ago, at the time of my Dad’s death, I was a “new” old Christian. That is to say, I was saved at an early age, then drifted away from church as a teen and young adult. Thankfully, God pursued me and brought me back into the fold to a wonderful Bible believing church. I was soaking up God’s Word like a sponge, when my Dad passed away. 

I was confident he was in heaven. That’s just what I knew. I didn’t think about where that was, or what it meant.  Christians go to heaven when they die. But when I read the scripture in 1 Thessalonians, all I could see was my dad in the ground, not in heaven.  

“Honey,” my sweet hubby answered me gently. “Yes, your dad’s body is in the ground, but his spirit is with Jesus. At the rapture, you daddy’s body will rise to meet his spirit, and Jesus, in the air.”

THE RAPTURE OR THE RETURN

Rapture? Huh? I was lost. Is that the second coming?  I promised myself then and there that I would learn all I could about heaven, the rapture and end times. 

Which brings me to today. I am actually taking an inductive study⁠1 on the book of Revelation. Which is crazy. I’m 63, retired and homework is not in my vocabulary.

I’m also not an eschatology (end times) expert. I wish I was, though, because it’s an extremely cool sounding word. Try it, and see how it rolls off your tongue: ess ka tahl ah gee. The first thing I would tell you about Revelation is this: you’re blessed if you read it. It’s a book of hope. Jesus and all those who follow Him win in the end. Satan is defeated, praise God!

“Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep what is written in it, because the time is near.” Revelation 1:3 CSB

Many people believe the rapture of the church and Jesus’ second coming are one and the same. Here’s what I’ve learned and come to believe: The rapture and the return are two separate events. Let me attempt to explain why I’ve come to this conclusion and believe this. 

IMPORTANT DIFFERENCES

The rapture is secret, instant (in the twinkling of an eye) and only believers will see Jesus.  Jesus comes FOR His church, and believer’s will meet Him in the air. He doesn’t come back to earth at this point. The rapture can happen at any time, and involves removing all believers from the earth before God’s wrath. 

At His second coming, Jesus comes back WITH His church. He will actually be back on earth. Everyone will see Him. His second coming will occur at the end of the seven years of tribulation. The second coming marks the return of Christ to bring an end to tribulation by defeating Satan, our enemy. Many things must occur before Jesus’ second coming.⁠2

THE RAPTURE THE RETURN
Jesus comes FOR His Church. John 14:1-3, 1 Thessalonians 4:14-17 Jesus comes WITH His Church. Colossians 3:4, Zechariah 14:5, Jude 14, Revelation 19:14
Caught up with Him in the air. 1 These. 4:13-18 Jesus’ feet touch the earth. Zech. 14:4, Rev. 19:11-21
Happens in a moment, too fast for eyes to see. 1 Cor. 15:52 Slow coming, people will see Him come back. Matt. 24:30, Rev. 1:7
Only Christians will see Him. 1 John 3:2, 1 Cor. 15:52 Every eye will see Him. Rev. 1:7
Can happen at any time. Rev. 3:3, 1 Thess. 5:4-6 Occurs at end of 7 years of tribulation. Dan. 9:24-27, Matt. 24:29-30, 2 Thess. 2:3-8
Spirits of those dead in Christ return with Jesus to receive their their resurrected bodies 1 Thess 4:14-16 Christians return with Jesus in already resurrected bodies riding on white horses. Rev 19:11-21

This is a very simplified explanation of what I have learned, and what I have come to believe. If you’re not sure what you believe or why, I encourage you to dig into God’s Word for yourself, and draw your own conclusions.

SO WHAT?

So, what does it matter? Why should we study about end times? Several reasons:

To Know God

When I taught through the book of Revelation several years ago, I knew nothing about it. One thing I did see: Even during the Tribulation, our God is a God of second chances. Over and over it seemed the He gave unbelievers the chance to turn to Him. 

Studying the end times, we also see that God is Holy and must judge sin. It’s not something we like to think about, but we need to know that judgement is coming. 

We also see that God has a purpose and a plan even when things seem out of control. (Kinda reminds me of the world today!). We can trust that He will work all things out for our good and His glory.

To Tell Others

Because we don’t know the day or hour of either event, there is an urgency to tell others about the saving grace of Jesus. 

I personally believe that people will be saved during the Tribulation, so why should I be concerned with winning them to Christ now? I imagine the unbelievers I know, going through the hardest times of their life, the Great Tribulation, and realizing they didn’t have to be there.

“If I’d only known about salvation through Jesus, I wouldn’t be here. Why didn’t (insert your name) tell me? Why didn’t they let me know so that I wouldn’t have to go through this? Why wasn’t I told about this  day of judgement⁠3?”

Telling others about Jesus is the most loving thing we can do for them! 

Do you know Jesus? If you’ve never accepted His gift of life, click here.

Grace be with you,

Ellen

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1 The inductive method of bible study is digging deep into the richness of God’s word. This  method is an investigative approach to the Bible using three basic components: Observation Interpretation and Application. Individual study is the first step

2 Matthew 24

3 Jesus’ first coming (as a babe in the manger) was for the salvation of man. Jesus’ second coming will be for judgement of man.

Trusting God When We Don’t Understand

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(Today’s guest post is from my sweet friend Kristine Brown, who has a message of living with Unwavering Trust in an Unfailing God. Not sure about y’all, but this is a message I need to preach to myself over and over again!)

Two CT scans, an ultrasound, and an MRI revealed a mass pressing dangerously close to my tailbone. The radiation oncologist ordered a PET scan to check for spreading. The PET scan would show any other cancerous cell clusters in my body. I prepared myself for the test that morning, only to get a shocking phone call. 

Insurance had denied the test.

Why would they refuse a test that would tell us if cancer had spread? Isn’t that information we need before knowing how to proceed with treatment? My mind unraveled with what this could mean for the days ahead, the plan, and my fate. My doctor reassured me that he had appealed the ruling. He scheduled a call with the insurance company to relay by phone why he felt the test was necessary. I drove to the cancer center as planned and waited in his office while he took the call. A second shock. He came back with yet another no.

Even after my doctor’s convincing testimony to the insurance company, they still denied the PET scan.

In that instant, I had a choice. Every bit of my go-getter, take-charge nature screamed for me to fight it. Call a supervisor. Send emails. Post my rant on social media and ask for opinions from any doctors and nurses on my friends list. But with my thoughts tied in crazed knots, a sensation deep in my chest beckoned me to trust what I knew to be true.

“For the Lord your God is the supreme God of the heavens above and the earth below” (Joshua 2:11 NLT).

In our lives we will have times when we want answers more than anything else. That need to know will send our minds spinning out of control unless we remind ourselves that God is supreme. 

In Joshua chapter 2, a woman named Rahab was given an opportunity of a lifetime. She had a choice between doing what the world expected of her or trusting God’s sovereignty. Rahab’s story inspires me to trust God when the odds are stacked against me. She held firm her belief in the Lord to do what He promised for her and her family. From Rahab’s example, we can learn to demonstrate that same life-changing level of trust.

 

I share more about Rahab’s story in my new book release, Cinched: Living with Unwavering Trust in an Unfailing God. I also share how Rahab inspired my own trust-walk. Along the way I discovered this truth:

 

“Freedom awaits us as we release the need-to-know and rest in the truth that our struggle could be part of God’s bigger plan.” – Cinched

 

Yes, there are times when God calls us to make that hard phone call or fight for that test. There are also times when we need to rest in the assurance that God has it all under control. Either way, He is faithful. Even through cancer. 

 

God works in the midst of our hurt when we don’t understand how things could possibly work out. 

Looking back on the uncertainty of my struggle, I still wonder why God allowed the PET scan to be denied. But I do feel certain of this. God wanted me to focus on what would remain unseen, not on what the test would show. “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:18 NIV) 

I needed to focus on God alone.

Are you facing a battle today that’s left you with more questions than answers? Are you feeling unraveled over the uncertainty of your situation and your future? Let the truth of Rahab’s words be your battle cry today. “For the Lord our God is the supreme God of the heavens above and the earth below.” Trust in that.

 

 

AUTHOR BIO:

Kristine Brown is a ministry wife, mom, stepmom, and Mimi. A former chronic worrier, Kristine loves connecting women today with women of the Bible and sharing lessons learned through her website, freelance writing, and speaking to women’s groups. Any given day you can find her texting her young adult kids, checking on neighbors, or searching for a new way to cook broccoli. To learn more, visit kristinebrown.net. Find out more about Cinched: Living with Unwavering Trust in an Unfailing God at Cinchedbook.com.