Wheat and weeds as a picture

[minnow]

Would it be a reasonable assumption to take the view that the following verses are linked and describe the same series of events? If so, do you have any supporting commentary, or if not, why not?

Matthew 13:28b-30, 39b-43 NIV

The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?'

'No,' he answered, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them.

Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.'

The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.

As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age.

The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil.

They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

Matthew 24:30-31 NIV

At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory.

And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 NIV

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.

After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.

Matthew 25:31-34, 41, 46 NIV

"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory.

All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.

"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

[JLW001]

I believe it to be very reasonable to place these verses as addressing the same events. Why? Because they all address the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and the in gathering of His people to Him. I am very confused by those that claim that in the rapture that Jesus will return to just the clouds and then 7 years later He will return for His Second Coming. Wouldn't that at least make His Second Coming His 2 1/2 coming? Just a little humor there ....lol.

Jesus admonishes us to be watchful and to not believe people who say that He is there or here or somewhere else. He says that we will know for certain when He comes because it will be like lightning splitting the sky from East to West. Jesus never differentiates between the ingathering of His Saint's and His Second Coming. This fact, along with the fact that the first resurrection does indeed occur at the rapture (notice I don't say there won't be a rapture) (I THess 4) and that saints beheaded for not receiving the mark of the beast will be included in the first resurrection (Rev 20).

I know that people are very adamant about the Pre-Mid-Post Tribulation rapture, but I have tried to prove pre-trib to myself twice and for some reason I can't address the two facts mentioned above. I would very much like to be in agreement with the majority of the Church and to believe that we will be in heaven during this time of trouble. However, I have yet to convince myself of it by looking at God's Word. Now I do know that God will be with us, no matter what and that even one of the churches in Rev2-3 are told that they will be spared from the time of testing that is coming upon the whole world. Does this have any bearing? I honestly don't know.

I would much rather be in agreement with the majority of Christians (including the doctrine of the church I attend, lol) than to not be, but I must follow what God reveals to me in scripture. I have no ill will or bear any malice or think less of saints who believe in the Pre-trib rapture and if I am wrong about things, may God open the eyes of my understanding. I try to keep an open mind when I read about Pre-trib or when my Pastor preaches it, but I have yet to be convinced of it in God's Word and that is what counts.

I refuse to let satan use a doctrine of the end times to bring division into my heart. If you beleive in the Pre-Trib rapture, then I'll be seeing Jesus and you sooner than I expect and if you don't agree with Pre-Trib, then I understand exactly why you don't. Either way, it doesn't impact the love of God that I have in my heart for my fellow saints and or my right standing with God that Jesus Christ accomplished for me and I accepted through faith (that God gave me) and confession that "Jesus Christ is the living Son of the Living God".