Hi Diana,
The very fact that you are asking for eyes to see and ears to hear, shows that you, and all who are seeking the same, will hear and see. You said....
"So the changing is happening now, but the completion of that change, when we are finally immortal and incorruptible, won't happen until the last trump...am I understanding this right? I guess I'm just not yet clued in as to how the last trump happens in the life of the elect, or even what it is. Because if it is at that time that the mortal is changed to immortal etc. how can this be since while living in the flesh we yet carry sin....while living in the flesh we are still corruptible, right?"
The book of Revelation begins with, Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand. Rev. 1:3
Notice, "for the time is at hand."The time is at hand and yet that was two thousand years ago.
John also said...
1 John 2:18
Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
Two thousand years ago it was,"the last time," and, "the time is at hand." We do know that the book of Revelation is a book of symbols.
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified (symbolized) it by his angel unto his servant John: Rev. 1:1
Symbolic of what? The last time, and the time is at hand, that's what. Now if you take the principle of is, was and will be, there is no difference in John's day than our day. So all those symbols that he saw in his day, we have now in our day.
The seven angels (messengers) to the seven churches, the seven seals, the seven trumpets, the seven plagues, the two witnesses and the 144,000 etc. are all God's elect. Even as you quoted Ray...
"All these things take a lifetime. We’re going to live “the seals”. A third part of the men died: that’s a third part of the man in us that is going to die. A third part of the carnality. God works in increments, you see. He wipes out some of the trees, and then He burns the grass…what is the trees and the grass? These are all things in us. We have islands, and mountains, and trees, and grass. All of these are belief systems and ideas and doctrines and philosophies of life and all these things. And they are all going to be burned out and broken down and destroyed. All of those seven seals, seven trumpets, seven plagues: they are all things that must happen in our lives."
This is why Babylon (Christianity) cannot understand the mysteries of the kindom of heaven. God does not want them to understand.
Matthew 13:11
He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
We are the last trumpet. The first shall be last, and the last (trump) shall be first. Everthing in the scriptures are the "called and the chosen." When we look at the scriptures in this way, it will help us see much clearer the deep things of God. Hope this helps a little.
In His love,
Dwight