Page 228 - The Rapture Question by John F. Walvoord

The Rapture in 2 Thessalonians
lationship to a posttribulational rapture. Pretribulationists
agree that when Christ comes in His second coming, He will
punish unbelievers and deliver believers; yet they also hold
that these believers will be, not members of the church, but
those who have come to Christ subsequent to the Rapture.
When all the factors are taken into consideration, the
posttribulational argument falls apart because those who are
actually punished at the second coming of Christ and the
saints who arc actually delivered are neither the persecutors of
the Thessalonians nor arc they necessarily members of the
church, the body of Christ. What is left is the comfort of
certainty that God will deal with the wicked and in due time
inflict divine judgment on them. All in all, the passage does
not contribute to the debate over the Tribulation.

The Rapture and the Day of the Lord in
2 Thessalonians 2:1-12
The exegesis of 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 is a crucial aspect
of the debate between posttribulationists and pretribu-
lationists as both claim that this chapter makes a major con­
tribution to their point of view. The matter is complicated
because the interpretation and exegesis of this passage depend
considerably on the interpreter’s comprehension of the de­
tailed prophetic program involved in end-time events, climax­
ing in the second coming of Christ. Under the circumstances, it
is understandable that the discussion should be extensive and
that posttribulationists and pretribulationists should disagree.
Gundry wrote a long chapter on his interpretation of
2 Thessalonians.2 Ladd dealt with it more briefly in his work.3
Reese commented on it in scattered references throughout his
volume.4 In general these three teach that the Great Tribula­
tion is placed specifically before the rapture of the church in
this passage.
Chapter 2 of the epistle deals with the day of the Lord in
237