The Bible speaks of both the universal (Ephesians 3:19-22; 4:12,15-16; Colossians 1:18) and local church (1 Corinthians 1:3 and others). The universal church is the body of believers saved during New Testament times and is distinct from the nation of Israel. The local church is a group of believers organized for the purposes of edification through preaching, teaching, and fellowship (Ephesians 4:11-13) and evangelism (2 Corinthians 5:18-21).
The primary leader of the local church is the pastor whose duties are to feed the “sheep of his flock” (1 Peter 5:2), be an example to the “flock” (1 Peter 5:3), and protect his “flock” (people) from false teachers and sinning brethren (Acts 20:28-32; 1 Timothy 4:16). The deacons are to serve with the pastor in leading the church. The ordinances of the church are baptism {performed by the pastor with the new believer by immersion in water for the purpose of obeying the Lord’s commandment (Matthew 28:19) and identification with Christ (Romans 6:3-5) and the Lord’s Supper (in which the bread and cup are distributed and consumed by obedient believers for the purpose of symbolically commemorating the broken body and shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross and looking forward to the Lord’s return–1 Cor. 11:17-34). Neither of the ordinances is a means of saving grace.
The church faces the particular problems of the growing apostasy and compromise due to the toleration of and cooperation with false teachers by some true Christians. Liberal and Neo-Orthodox leaders are false teachers and are to be withdrawn from by believers (1 Timothy 6:3-5; 2 John 10-11).
Not all issues concerning the doctrine of future happenings are crystal clear. What we do know beyond question is that both dead and living believers will be changed into glorified bodies to live in the state of eternal bliss in the presence of the Lord (1 Corinthians 15:51-57; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18), and that after the world has been thoroughly scourged by a just God (Rev. 4-19), the unbelievers and Satan will be cast into a place called the “lake of fire” to remain eternally (Revelation 20:11-15).
The order of events is most likely as follows: