“However, in the book of Revelations after the letters to the churches, the church is no longer mentioned when the seals are broken and the trials begin.“
This is often proposed as anecdotal evidence of a pretrib rapture. The Church as a whole (universal body of believers, including the living and dead) is not depicted anywhere in Revelation using that label. Local churches comprised of living believers are specifically addressed in the first 3 chapters. And The Church is depicted symbolically as Christ’s bride toward the latter chapters of the book. Jesus is seen in His glorified state in the early chapters but is depicted as the Lamb for most of the book (and the name Jesus is absent for much of the same section of the book as is “church”).
Further, there is a shift in perspective beginning in chapter 4 to the Heavenly realm. If The Church was fully present there (i.e. the rapture had occurred), wouldn’t the absence of any reference to The Church be counterintuitive for a pretrib rapture? So, as an anecdote, the change of perspective is not an effective argument for a pretrib rapture. Further, the multitude that does suddenly appear in Heaven, coming out of the Great Tribulation in chapter 7, is perhaps as good of a description of raptured saints from the Heavenly perspective as I could hope for. And it should also be noted that neither the rapture (specifically, the gathering of living saints in the air) nor the removal of the wicked from the earth by angels are explicitly described at all in the book.
Addressing the broader issue of dispensationalism with regard to Revelation would require stepping back and doing a larger analysis of the book as a whole. Revelation ties together the entire Bible, and everyone’s doctrine is laid bare by it. A person cannot understand Revelation without relying on a foundation of general biblical knowledge. And if we bring to Revelation any errors in our understanding of the Bible as a whole, we will introduce those errors into the text of Revelation.
As you can you see from my earlier posts, I frequently make long, detailed replies with biblical citations. I’m willing to take the time to do this on this issue as well, and continue this discussion if there is an interest on either of your parts in doing so. I’m not trying to set myself up as the expert or teacher on the subject or that I have all of the answers. I don’t. And I’m not saying I’m not open to being corrected or learning new things. But I rarely hear new viewpoints on the subject, and most of what is put forward in the discussion of it sounds regurgitated rather than representing an ongoing study.
But I am fairly busy and do not wish to do so as a cursory exercise, or if anyone else wishing to discuss these matters has little interest in giving it the time needed to do so.
I’m always looking to fill in the gaps of my knowledge and understanding of these matters, and even if others do not find my arguments persuasive, or if they are unable to bring forward any new insights, I still get a benefit of studying the topic for myself. However, I also take no pleasure in just seeing my thoughts typed out. So I want to avoid a one-sided conversation, if that’s the case.
The marriage of the Lamb in Revelation 19 comes after the fall of Babylon in Revelation 18 and before Christ comes back to earth and throws Satan into the bottomless pit for 1,000 years.
WE are the Bride of Christ, the church. We are in heaven for that marriage and return with Him at the final battle of the Tribulation. We can’t be here on earth at the same time.