Page 134 - The Rapture Question by John F. Walvoord

The Rapture Question: Revised and Enlarged Edition
The semiclassic posttribulational interpretation makes
much of the argument that pretribulationism is recent. Alex­
ander Reese, whose work is probably the most comprehensive
posttribulational volume ever published, wrote, “These views,
which began to be propagated a little over 100 years ago in the
separatist movements of Edward Irving and J. N. Darby, have
spread to the remotest comers of the earth, and enlisted sup­
porters in most of the Reformed Churches in Christendom,
including the Mission field."20 This will be considered further
under the historical argument of posttribulationism. In gen­
eral, the argument is qualified by the fact that posttribu-
lationists are more recent in many of their arguments than the
prctribulationists.21
Posttribulationists of the semiclassic school illustrate how
confused posttribulationists arc about the nature and extent of
the Tribulation itself. Some hold that the entire span of
human history, or at least the entire church age, is a period of
tribulation and that, therefore, it is foolish to speak of the
church being raptured before it. A variation of this, however,
is found in those who hold that the church, while already in
the Tribulation, is still awaiting the Great Tribulation, which
is future. In contrast to the semiclassic posttribulational in­
terpretation, however, the futuristic school holds that the en­
tire Tribulation is still future, sometimes identifying it with
the seven years of Daniel 9:27, which precede the second
coming of Christ and with it usually following the futurist
interpretation of Revelation as still future from chapter 4 to
chapter 18.
Confusion also reigns as to whether the church is to be
identified with Israel or whether the church and Israel are
both members of a spiritual community. As everyone agrees
that there are saved people in the tribulation time, it is cus­
tomary for posttribulationists to assume that they have proved
the church itself is in this period.
A common text used is Matthew 24:31, “And he will send
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