And it was given unto her to array herself in fine linen, bright and pure, for the fine linen is the righteous acts, deeds or conduct of the saints.

Revelation 19:7-8

Salvation is always a free gift. Messiah wove that white linen garment on Calvary and put it on us Himself. But the Bride of Messiah must weave her own garment through works: righteous acts, deeds, or conduct. The linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

John Wright Follette wrote in his book Broken Bread:

The gift of salvation never qualifies a soul to reign and rule with Christ. Crowns are not given as souvenirs. They are won.

This is why He has baptized us in His Holy Spirit, that we might have the power and the spiritual energy—not to mention the wisdom, knowledge, and understanding that the Spirit can give us—which produces or should produce growth, steadfastness, and maturity.

I believe this is emphasized in the 25th chapter of Matthew, which in my estimation tells it all:

Then the kingdom of heaven (kingdom of God or church of God) shall be compared to ten virgins (parthenos) who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.

Matthew 25:1-4

It is obvious that the flasks of oil represent the Holy Spirit. Oil has always been symbolic of the Spirit. The scriptures go on to tell us the wise virgins became the bride, and the foolish were locked out. They were all virgins and all belonged to the kingdom of heaven or the church. No one lost their salvation! This had nothing to do with salvation; it had to do with reward—the high calling or upward call of God.

Not that I have already obtained this (resurrection) or am already mature, but I press on to make it my own because Christ has made me His own. Brethren, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Yahshua. Let those of us who are mature be thus minded; and if in anything you are otherwise minded God will reveal that also to you.

Philippians 3:12-16

Striving for the goal to seize the prize is not a free gift; it is a labor of love, a reward.

I believe we have established the fact there is a bride within the church and Messiah is coming for her. Now we will try to show when and where He is coming for not only the bride but the rest of the church as well.

Brideship: Pre-trib, Mid-trib & Post-trib

If these terms are unfamiliar to you, it is apparent you have had little or no end-time teaching. It is addressing the tribulation period and when the “rapture” will occur. The majority of the church believes in seven years of great tribulation preceded by the rapture of the church. I don’t think they know or particularly care who is troubled in this great tribulation as long as it isn’t them. This, of course, pertains to the last seven years of this age!

I have studied and taught on this subject for over fifty years. In my youth, when I was young and beautiful, I too believed in the pre-trib doctrine. I felt the ministers that headed up the churches must know the truth after spending all that time in seminary. I found out later that most ministers know little to nothing about end times and many asked if I would conduct a study group for teachers and clergy alike. That is how I got started teaching.

There must be over a hundred ways to approach this subject and it seems I never pick the same way twice; but let’s start with the testimony of Messiah in Matthew 24:3. The disciples (we find that it was James and John, Simon and Andrew — Mark 13:3) came to Him privately saying:

Tell us when this will be, and what will be the sign of your coming and the close of this age.

Matthew 24:3

Messiah tells them about wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes in various places, etc.

Then many will stumble and apostate and betray one another and hate one another. …And because wickedness is multiplied, most men's (Christians') love will grow cold. But he who endures until the end will be saved.

Matthew 24:10–14

Now to the sign of His coming:

So when you see the desolating sacrilege spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the most holy or holy of holies (let the reader understand), let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

Matthew 24:15–16

Why?

For there will be a great tribulation such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been shortened, no human being would be saved; but for the sake of the elect (bride), those days will be shortened!

Matthew 24:21–22

So we find that the sign of His coming is the desolating sacrilege taking over the holy place or sanctuary according to Matthew’s account. Luke helps us out on the same subject in chapter 21, verse 20.

But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies then know that its desolation has come.

Luke 21:20

This verse is followed by the same verse in Matthew 24:16:

Let those in Judea flee to the mountains.

Luke 21:21

Who we are speaking about is the son of perdition (anti-Christ) with his armies clobbering Jerusalem (Israel) and taking over the temple and its sanctuary.

And Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

Luke 21:24

Daniel writes:

For how long is the vision concerning the continual burnt offering, the transgression that makes desolate, and the giving over of the sanctuary and host to be trampled under foot? And the angel said to me, for two thousand and three hundred evenings and mornings, then the sanctuary will be restored to its rightful state.

Daniel 8:13–14

The Gentile times are six years and four months, leaving eight months to end Daniel’s 70th week. This gives plenty of time for the battle of Armageddon (Revelation 19:11–21); the marriage of the Lamb and His bride (Revelation 19:6–9);
and the first resurrection.

But back to the son of perdition. He is a spirit that has ruled and reigned here on earth six times before and indwells the anti-Christ (Revelation 17:7–12). He rules and reigns for the first 42 months (3½ years) of the seven-year period, killing and imprisoning those who oppose him—Christians, Jews, and every other religion that worships God Almighty. But he is slain (not unto death) by Messiah at the parousia or appearance of Messiah in the heavens (not His literal coming: Revelation 13:5–10; 2 Thessalonians 2:8–9).

The son of perdition is put out of commission mid-week or, as the church would put it, mid-trib—42 months into the seven years! More important, Satan and his angels are cast to the earth at the same time (Revelation 12:6–14).

Israel is sealed to protect them from the oncoming wrath of God, and the bride is raptured (Revelation 7).

All four of these events are accomplished by Messiah, Michael, and his angels (Matthew 24:30–31).

Although these events occur mid-week, they do not occur mid-trib!

The tribulation period only lasts 3½ years, not seven. The last 3½ years is the outpouring of God’s wrath.

Immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken: then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven; and he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call and they will gather in his elect from one end of heaven to the other.

Matthew 24:29–31

When he (Messiah) opened the 6th seal I looked and behold, there was a great earthquake. The sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth (Satan's angels). Then the kings of the earth, great men, generals, rich and the strong, slave and the free… called to the mountains and rocks, fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand before it?

Revelation 6:12–17

Then the seventh chapter shows the sealing of the twelve tribes of Israel and the gathering of the elect or bride. The eighth chapter of Revelation shows the Lamb of God opening the seventh and final seal and the outpouring of God’s wrath for the next three and a half years (Revelation 12:6,14). The wrath of God is revealed in
Revelation chapters 8, 9, 10, 11, 15, and 16.

The tribulation to the saints (all those on God’s side) and the outpouring of the wrath of Almighty God almost finished, the seventh angel blows his trumpet:

Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying: 'The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our God (Yahweh) and of His Messiah, and He shall reign for an age of ages.'

Revelation 11:15

Lo, I tell you a mystery! We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall all be changed.

1 Corinthians 15:52

But in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God, as He announced to His servants the prophets, should be fulfilled.

Revelation 10:7

Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom judgment was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony to Yahshua and the word of God, and who had not worshiped the beast nor its image. They came to life and reigned with Messiah a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and Messiah and reign with Him a thousand years.

Revelation 20:4–6

To put all this into simpler terms:
The bride or elect will be gathered up by the angels of Michael when Messiah makes His appearance in the heavens—42 months into the last seven years of this age. The rest of the church will be resurrected at Messiah’s literal coming at the end of the age.