Your credentials are impressive. But you have ignored plain simple grammar. And you have ASSUMED that if our Lord were to receive His Church into the clouds, He must come another time. You of all people should also know that "harpazo" DOES mean "to be snatched away", and that this is confirmed by 2 Thessalonians 2:1, "Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him." .Further, you have used the word "coming" when you know, as a student of Greek, the word is "parousia" - which means "PRESENCE". But let me build more proofs.
The Second Coming of the Lord Jesus is one from "above the highest heaven" to earth - the Mount of Olives to be exact (Zech.14:4; Act.1:11-12). On the way he stops in a lower heaven where Elders, Living Creatures and angels are, to be crowned (Rev.4). Then He must pass through the stratosphere (where there are no clouds) and into the troposphere where there are clouds. Here He again pauses to receive His Church and judge them at the "Bema", not the "Thronos". Then He continues His journey by breaking forth from the clouds to be "revealed" (apokalypsis) to men (Matt.24:30). There are NO TWO JOURNEYS IN THIS. It is ONE journey with some "PAROUSIA" - His "presence". (i) His presence in the highest heaven, followed by (ii) His presence in a lower heaven, followed by (iii) His presence in the clouds, followed by (iv) His presence on earth.
But there is more, but only if you actually believe scripture. It is said by scripture that the coming Great Tribulation will encompass the the WHOLE EARTH. That is, there is no corner, cave or den that does not have the full effects of the natural and supernatural torment to the earth and those who dwell on it. But there is One Man Who is not dwelling on earth at this time. It is Jesus. Matthew 24:29-30 says that Jesus comes "AFTER" the Tribulation of those days. Now, in Luke 21, starting with verse 25 when the "times of the Gentiles are fulfilled", this time of Tribulation is again mentioned in context of the coming of the Son of man. Luke 21:35-36 reads;
35 "For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.
36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man."
Verse 35 confirms that it encompasses the "WHOLE EARTH" and affects "ALL" that dwell on it. Verse 36 then shows a place of escape to those "WORTHY". It is to "STAND BEFORE the Son of man. Since He is not on earth at the time, "standing beofre the Son of man" leaves no other option than those "WORTHY" are somewhere else THAN EARTH. And it not be UNDER the earth because our Lord is finished with under the earth by resurrection day.
But there is more if you believe the Bible. In Revelation 3:10 we read; "Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth." Again we have "trial upon ALL the earth" for them that dwell upon it. And the promise to those worthy is that they will not only be kept from the trial, but kept from the HOUR of this universal trial. Not only are they somewhere else than the earth, but they will be missing for the TIME it takes to torment men and beasts.
I suggest that you rethink the matter. Hagee is not a reference point. On this we can agree. But scripture in all its simplicity and logic is. I also suggest that the contents of Revelation Chapter 20 cannot be symbolic as you would have for the thousand years - for (i) you have no reason to make this one word in a whole Chapter symbolic, and (ii) if you make one thing symbolic within a context you must make all symbolic. This would cause absurdities. Added to this, this time is alluded to in Hebrews 3 and 4 and is called God's future "REST" and is defined by (i) those of Israel who did not enter the Good Land, and (ii) by those cast out of the Good Land. The time from Joshua crossing Jordan to the deportation of the Jews to Babylon was just short of 1,000 years. This, in conjunction with the SIX-TIMES mention of a specific number, might not be conclusive in itself. But you have no reason for dismissing it. And if you take the grammatical implications that make it "A" thousand years THREE-TIMES, and by implication "THE" thousand years THREE-TIMES, the six-time mention is to be taken seriously. Add the Heptadic structure of scripture to it and you have God's real Sabbath in the 7th one thousand year day since Adam. Each in itself not conclusive, but your claim of a "once mention" falls away.
The last, and simplest proof is the plain language of 1st Thessalonians 4:15-17. It simply says that the dead will rise, join the living, and TOGETHER be "caught away" to the air and the clouds. There is no ambiguity. It is plain and simple language.
Lastly, not a proof, but a point of discussion for a student of your caliber, what think ye of Philippians 3:14? "I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." You and I both know that the Greek does not describe a "high calling" as the King James renders. It describes the direction of the calling. This was corrected in the New King James - as I used above. And Paul describes it as a PRIZE - very much in harmony with Luke 21:36 which calls them "WORTHY", and Revelation 3:10 which indicates a REWARD "because" the Overcomers had done something.
The Second Coming of the Lord Jesus is one from "above the highest heaven" to earth - the Mount of Olives to be exact (Zech.14:4; Act.1:11-12). On the way he stops in a lower heaven where Elders, Living Creatures and angels are, to be crowned (Rev.4). Then He must pass through the stratosphere (where there are no clouds) and into the troposphere where there are clouds. Here He again pauses to receive His Church and judge them at the "Bema", not the "Thronos". Then He continues His journey by breaking forth from the clouds to be "revealed" (apokalypsis) to men (Matt.24:30). There are NO TWO JOURNEYS IN THIS. It is ONE journey with some "PAROUSIA" - His "presence". (i) His presence in the highest heaven, followed by (ii) His presence in a lower heaven, followed by (iii) His presence in the clouds, followed by (iv) His presence on earth.
But there is more, but only if you actually believe scripture. It is said by scripture that the coming Great Tribulation will encompass the the WHOLE EARTH. That is, there is no corner, cave or den that does not have the full effects of the natural and supernatural torment to the earth and those who dwell on it. But there is One Man Who is not dwelling on earth at this time. It is Jesus. Matthew 24:29-30 says that Jesus comes "AFTER" the Tribulation of those days. Now, in Luke 21, starting with verse 25 when the "times of the Gentiles are fulfilled", this time of Tribulation is again mentioned in context of the coming of the Son of man. Luke 21:35-36 reads;
35 "For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.
36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man."
Verse 35 confirms that it encompasses the "WHOLE EARTH" and affects "ALL" that dwell on it. Verse 36 then shows a place of escape to those "WORTHY". It is to "STAND BEFORE the Son of man. Since He is not on earth at the time, "standing beofre the Son of man" leaves no other option than those "WORTHY" are somewhere else THAN EARTH. And it not be UNDER the earth because our Lord is finished with under the earth by resurrection day.
But there is more if you believe the Bible. In Revelation 3:10 we read; "Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth." Again we have "trial upon ALL the earth" for them that dwell upon it. And the promise to those worthy is that they will not only be kept from the trial, but kept from the HOUR of this universal trial. Not only are they somewhere else than the earth, but they will be missing for the TIME it takes to torment men and beasts.
I suggest that you rethink the matter. Hagee is not a reference point. On this we can agree. But scripture in all its simplicity and logic is. I also suggest that the contents of Revelation Chapter 20 cannot be symbolic as you would have for the thousand years - for (i) you have no reason to make this one word in a whole Chapter symbolic, and (ii) if you make one thing symbolic within a context you must make all symbolic. This would cause absurdities. Added to this, this time is alluded to in Hebrews 3 and 4 and is called God's future "REST" and is defined by (i) those of Israel who did not enter the Good Land, and (ii) by those cast out of the Good Land. The time from Joshua crossing Jordan to the deportation of the Jews to Babylon was just short of 1,000 years. This, in conjunction with the SIX-TIMES mention of a specific number, might not be conclusive in itself. But you have no reason for dismissing it. And if you take the grammatical implications that make it "A" thousand years THREE-TIMES, and by implication "THE" thousand years THREE-TIMES, the six-time mention is to be taken seriously. Add the Heptadic structure of scripture to it and you have God's real Sabbath in the 7th one thousand year day since Adam. Each in itself not conclusive, but your claim of a "once mention" falls away.
The last, and simplest proof is the plain language of 1st Thessalonians 4:15-17. It simply says that the dead will rise, join the living, and TOGETHER be "caught away" to the air and the clouds. There is no ambiguity. It is plain and simple language.
Lastly, not a proof, but a point of discussion for a student of your caliber, what think ye of Philippians 3:14? "I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." You and I both know that the Greek does not describe a "high calling" as the King James renders. It describes the direction of the calling. This was corrected in the New King James - as I used above. And Paul describes it as a PRIZE - very much in harmony with Luke 21:36 which calls them "WORTHY", and Revelation 3:10 which indicates a REWARD "because" the Overcomers had done something.
