Gregory Perry Sr. said:
I personally believe it (the universal church or body of Christ) transcends all the division found in man-created denominationalism and is simply the sum total of the true Body of Christ that will rise in true glory and praise to God at the sound of that trumpet.
Greg, I agree with you in part. At the sound of the trumpet, believers will meet Christ in the air, and for the first time since Jesus founded his church, we will be unified into one body. I, too, look forward to being in that great General Assembly in heaven.
If there is a Universal church it is not unified today. In fact, it is totally fractured, with many believers affiliated with churches which teach heresy. If it was the Universal Church to which Jesus gave the Great Commission, it has failed miserably. To say that it transcends the divisions of denominationalism sounds good, but on the face of it cannot be true.
God is saving sinners through many of those denominations and their local churches, even with their flaws. The Universal Church: Zero converts. And I'm aware of many local churches who are quite filled with unity and harmony. The Universal church is definitely not in harmony.
If you, or anyone, can tell me the purpose and function of the Universal Church, I'd appreciate it.
Now, just one other thought. I think you are confusing the church and the kingdom. The kingdom, indeed, is made up of subjects of the king--all believers. Local churches, we agree, are not always. The common error is to hold that the church and the kingdom are the same.
I close this post in agreement with you on this one thing: The King is coming!