Page 179 - The Rapture Question by John F. Walvoord

The Rapture in the Gospels
the discussion of events immediately leading up to and
climaxing in the second coming of Christ there is mention of a
posltribulalional Rapture. As the subject is the second coming of
Christ, mention of a posttribulational Rapture would be ap­
propriate.
While posttribulationists agree that there is no pretrib-
ulational Rapture mentioned in this chapter, they do find a
posttribulational Rapture mentioned in connection with the
second coming of Christ in Matthew 24:31: “And he will send
his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his
elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the
other.” According to Gundry, “Posttribulationists equate the
rapture with the gathering of the elect by the angels at the
sound ofa trumpet (Matt. 24:31).”6 Gundry supported this by
drawing parallels with other passages on the Rapture, stating,
“The posttribulational view gains further support from
parallel terminology in Paul’s Thessalonian discussion of the
Church’s rapture, where we read of a trumpet, clouds, and a
gathering of believers just as in the Olivet Discourse (1 Thess.
4:16, 17; 2 Thess. 2:1).”7 Gundry further stated, “The general
term ‘elect’ may refer to Israel, to the Church, or to both.”8
The major objection to making this equivalent to the
Rapture is that there is no mention of either translation or
resurrection, the two major features of the rapture of the
church. Premillenarians generally agree that there is a
gathering of all the elect, both the elect of Israel and the elect
of the Gentiles who are living on the earth at the second
coming of Christ, as well as those who have been resurrected
and translated previously. The Millennium includes all the
saints of all ages. On this, premillenarians are agreed. The
proof that Matthew’s account of this event includes either a
translation or a resurrection, however, is lacking.
Gundry attempted to counter this by pointing out that
John 14:1-3 likewise does not mention resurrection. But this
passage mentions specifically the translation and the destina-

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