There is no 'corporate' church...The seven churches in Rev. is the church...Every Christian that ever lived is represented in one of those 7 churches...
A plain reading of the texts indicate the resurrection and gathering of believers happens on the great day of the Lord.
You got it backwards...The believers aren't leaving the earth at the end of the Tribulation...You guys quote scripture but it seems you don't even read what you are quoting...
Mat 24:30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
ALL the tribes of the earth shall see Jesus land on the earth...This is not the Rapture spoken of where only the BELIEVERS will see Jesus in the clouds of the air...How could you or anyone confuse the issue???
Mat 24:31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
NOTICE...The angels will gather the elect from HEAVEN, NOT the Earth...Their destination (the elect) is the Earth...The verse is not speaking of anyone going to Heaven...
Rev 19:9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.
The Wedding of the Bride and Groom takes place in Heaven...And after the Wedding,
Rev 19:11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
Rev 19:14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
The armies are the Bride, clothed in fine linen...The church...And the church rides along with Jesus to fight the (one sided) battle at Armageddon...
Rev 19:15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
Rev 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
None of these Saints went to Heaven...They are still on the Earth...
According to Hal “The Late Great Planet Earth” Lindsay, this all should have happened back in ‘76 when the Winnebago legions were circling their wagons out in the Mojave Desert awaiting alien contact.
I won't address the entire argument, but I will simply challenge two points:
1. Provide scriptural evidence that clearly states only believers will see Jesus during the so-called first stage of the first resurrection.
2. Provide scriptural evidence that states believers will be gathered before unbelievers. Once we read those, we will compare them with Matthew 24:37-41, and Matthew 13:30 (36-43 for explanation).
That is your informed opinion, and subject to much debate. If you can provide scriptural evidence, I will happily agree these were not 7 literal churches, who each had different issues, that Jesus was specifically addressing.
Ephesians 4:12 and 5:23 refer to the entire (corporate) body of believers, the church, not to geographically specific bodies of believers. Contrast with Revelation chapters 1-3.
The Wedding of the Bride and Groom takes place in Heaven...And after the Wedding,
Actually, this says nothing about where the marriage supper of the lamb will be, or when it will be! Don't read into it, just read it.
The placement of the verse is odd, to me, anyway. Why was it not in Rev 4, when John in the spirit (not the body!) went to heaven, which is supposedly the "rapture"? In 1993 or so, when I heard Jack Van Impe confidently asserted this was the "rapture" in the book of Revelation, I began to seriously question all I had been taught (and had taught others) on the matter. I mean, really, that is it? It does not even match the other accounts! Once I beagn to read the scripture for what it says, not what I had been told it said, it all became obvious. I implore you, read it for what it says!
NOTICE...The angels will gather the elect from HEAVEN, NOT the Earth...Their destination (the elect) is the Earth...The verse is not speaking of anyone going to Heaven...
Rev 19:14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
The armies are the Bride, clothed in fine linen...The church...And the church rides along with Jesus to fight the (one sided) battle at Armageddon...
Do you not see the contradiction in these two statements? Either Jesus comes from Heaven with the saints in tow (Rev 19), or he appears in the clouds, where all the earth can see him, and then he sends his angels to get his saints from heaven (Matt 24).
Actually, he comes from heaven not with his saints as armies, but rather with his angels, Matthew 16:27. Then, his angels- the harvesters - gather the tares first, then they gather the wheat, the righteous - Matthew 13:30, 37-43.
Incidentally, when angels were seen, they were dressed in white, and shone brightly - Matt 28:3, Mark 16:5, Luke 24:4.