Hi Doves....Today I read some really wonderful letters on this site, and I praise God and John Tng for bringing all these wonderful people in one place.  We all have the same goal....to get from "here" to "there" through our Lord Jesus Christ.  But we are all individuals with different ways of doing things which cause all kinds of conclusions that may be right or wrong.  None of us is indispensible, yet we're all better together for getting at the truth through clarification.  That seems the way a family works.

I haven't heard anyone discussing the "crown" rewards.  Paul said "I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."  From what I understand, Paul is looking to the "high calling" of the rapture.  It is for the prize of the "crowns" that are seen in Revelation 4:4.  These "crowns" are the rewards given at the Judgment seat of Christ seen in I Cor.3:10-15! .  Who are these people with the crowns?  And this is seen BEFORE the beginning of the Tribulation of 1260 days.  This link gives us the answer:

http://raptureready.com/abc/Judgment_Seat_of_Christ.html

This clarifies the order of the judgments.  There are more than one which are earned....but salvation, itself, is free and without "works".  This is "working out our own salvation with fear and trembling"....it's the "work" we do after we're saved that earns rewards.

In comparing the "bride" with the Jewish wedding ceremony, we are now in the "engagement" time.  We have accepted Jesus as our bridegroom...and now we just wait for His arrival with the "shout" of the bridgroom as in Matthew 25.  Some will be ready, and some will not.  Those who are "worthy" (Luke 21:36 and Rev.3:10)and "watching" will be taken (see Rev. 3:3), and the others will be tried "yet so as by fire" (I Cor.3:15) in the 1260 days of the Tribulat! ion.  Yet, they will be taken later, but before God's wrath on remaining unbelievers, to join the Lord and the "bride" at the wedding supper....see Rev.3:18-20.

In the question of the "bride" going through the time of trial, or the 1260 days of Tribulation, it makes no sense at all.  I do not see our Lord Jesus having a dialog like this with His bride....

Jesus:  "My lovely one, will you accept me as your Saviour and bridegroom?"

Bride:  "Of course I will because I love you and what you did to save me."

Jesus:  "Well, my lovely bride, I'm going away for a while....and then I'm going to let the worst conditions in this world's history beat the tar out of you.  Then I'm coming back to get you after all this, and then we'll celebrate our marriage with a great supper meal".

This doesn't sound like the Jesus I know and love.  And when he says in I Thess. 4:18.."Wherefore comfort one another with these words."&! nbsp; What kind of "comfort" is it to know one is going through that ho! rrible time?

Some people say that the "body" can't be divided with some going before others.  That can't possibly be true because Jesus is the "head" of the body, and He is already there while we, the rest of the body remain here.  With the birth of a baby into this world, the HEAD comes out first....then the rest of the body in individual parts.  Yet it is still an intact body.  Both feet don't come at once...one has to come out before the other.  Couldn't the two FEET represent the Laodicean church and the Philadelphia church?  The Philadelphia church is the "bride" while the Laodicean church is "spued" out (Rev.3:16)and left behind for the trial by fire.

Well, Doves, that's about it!  With what I've read in the bible, that's the way I see it working out.  I'm really open to any logical differences that make more sense.

Agape love to all...

YsiC,

Arlene