God is also depicted as riding and coming on clouds in the OT, and it always associated with incoming judgment. Would you claim that the OT scripture references are physical manifestations of God too? If No, then you have to admit that "coming in the clouds" doesn't have to be equated to the 2nd advent every time you read it.
Again, the sound of a great trumpet simply means God is going to do something in terms of de-creation, He's going to destroy something. Gather them to the uttermost part of heaven is your words, not from Matthew 24:31, read it again; and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. I believe this simply means that God is going entrust the angles with the care of His saints, not just the ones who lived in Jerusalem, but through-out the whole region of the Roman empire. It has a similar meaning as "from every nation under heaven" in Acts 2:5, and Acts 4:12, and Col 1:23
Yes, when the Lord comes again we will meet him in the air and continue with Him to earth, the new earth and new heavens. So really our physical bodies, dead bodies, or resurrected bodies never leave. The intent behind one taken and the other left is this, one is taken in judgment (death), then other isn't (life is spared), because Christ took our judgment upon Himself to those who are authentically saved. What you are doing here is mixing 1 Thessalonians 4 (the 2nd coming) with the Olivet Discourse (judgment upon Jerusalem, which I believe, also has a typological fulfillment of Christ's 2nd coming).
Nor does it say it God's people who are taken. But again, interpret this with the general revelation of the bible, and the one left behind after God displays His judgment and wrath is always the one left standing, His remnant. The rest end up as the evil servant, which is later described by Jesus in Matt. 24 [SUP]48 [/SUP]But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ [SUP]49 [/SUP]and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, [SUP]50 [/SUP]the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, [SUP]51 [/SUP]and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.