Page 254 - The Rapture Question by John F. Walvoord

The Rapture in the Book of Revelation
examination of these verses, however, provides no support
whatever for the concept of a second chance, and post-
tribulationists generally, as well as pretribulationists, consider
Gundry’s point of view here quite untenable.
The Book of Revelation makes rather clear that those
who go through the Tribulation without faith in Christ receive
the mark of the beast and as such arc destined for God’s
judgment. According to Revelation 14:9-11, it is stated, “If
anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his
mark on the forehead or on the hand, he, too, will drink of
the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength
into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with burning
sulphur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb.
And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There
is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast
and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his
name.”
On the basis of this text, it is impossible to harmonize
the mark of the beast with having a seal placed on the fore­
head of the 144,000, protecting them from harm, according to
Revelation 7:3. How can orthodox Jews who arc unsaved and
unconverted be called servants of God and avoid inclusion
as worshipers of the beast? This strange teaching is another
illustration of the incompatibility of dispensationalism with
posttribulationism and accounts for the almost universal
rejection of Gundry’s position on this point by both posttribu-
lationists and pretribulationists.
Taken in its proper context, Revelation 7:1-8 pictures
twelve tribes of Israel miraculously preserved through the
Great Tribulation because they have trusted in Christ and are
saved and are servants of God. They are pictured here as
preserved through the Great Tribulation in contrast to the
multitude from every nation who are not preserved physically,
as described in Revelation 7:9-17. As the first half of Revela­
tion 7 deals with those not martyred, the last half of Revela-

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