Page 34 - The Rapture Question by John F. Walvoord

The Meaning of the Church
fulfilled in their lifetime, they would see Christ establish His
millennial kingdom on earth. It did not form part of their
expectation, however, that any of them would be translated;
and in fact the Scriptures provide no such teaching in connec­
tion with the Second Coming to the earth. Rather, as will be
pointed out later, it is absolutely necessary for the saints who
arc on earth at the time of the Second Advent to enter the
millennial kingdom in the flesh, in order to fulfill the many
promises that picture their normal life on the earth.
The translation of the saints as a comforting hope
In connection with the further revelation of the transla­
tion of the church given in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, we find
this exhortation: “Therefore encourage each other with these
words.” Here again is a truth and exhortation that is for­
eign to the Old Testament promises. The church is promised
the comfort of translation, and this seems to be regarded in
1 Thessalonians as an imminent event. Nothing in the Old
Testament encouraged any believer to anticipate translation
at the time of the coming of Christ or to expect reunion with
loved ones with the comfort that this would afford by any
imminent coming of Christ to take them to Himself. Once
again the truth is given as a new revelation in the New Testa­
ment relating to the church as the body of Christ. The very
fact that the hope is presented as a comforting hope is another
argument for the pretribulation rapture of the church.
Mystery of the Bride
In Ephesians 5:22-23 the mystery of the church as a bride
is unfolded. The truth is revealed in connection with a series of
exhortations in Ephesians 5, concluding with the proper re­
lationship of husbands to wives as illustrated by the relation­
ship of Christ to the church. It is revealed that Christ “loved
the church and gave himself up for her” (Eph. 5:25), the
purpose being “to make her holy, cleansing her by the wash-
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